The Avatar of New Age
by Erin Nire 376
Summary: The Avatar has been reborn in the earth nation, and a group of benders search last in a small untouched village in the mountains. Holo, a disguised girl in the village, is unaware of her destiny as its revealed she's the new Avatar.


Episode 1- The Search  
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Yan gripped his wife's hand in the dead of night as she gasped her last breath, the healer that had been sent to them looking over her, eyes full of hopelessness. "Forgive me, sir...there was nothing I could do... She was just too  
sick..."

Yan half listened, staring at his wife's frail and beautiful face that appeared asleep.

The healer scooped up the slumbering bundle she had set in a bed of straw and quilts while her attention was drawn to the mother, and gently pushed the baby into Sacoba's arms.

He looked down at the baby wearily. "What a fragile thing..."

"The baby is healthy, and shouldn't face the same fate as Holo." The healer assured, and the father looked up.

"That's what I'll name him...Holo..."

"But, Yan, the baby is-"

He shook his head. "Our village sends off our women for money to the down hill villiage. I can't let this child go..."

Understanding, although worried, the guilt of being unable to save the late Holo silenced her protests. "I understand...I won't breathe a word..."

Looking back at his wife, he brushed her cheek with his hand, still warm and protected from the cold night outside their stone home. He took the the hair pin he carved for her out of platypus bear bone, and pinned it on the green cloth of  
the baby's blankets.

Red dawn was settling over the peaks of the mountains, making the green of trees look emerald. The black armored soldiers rode up on armadillo horses, an animal with the body of a horse but the armor of an armadillo. They were ideal  
for climbing up mountains and steep rocks like the land of the earth kingdom.

The leader's steed was black as coal, and faster then the others. The leader was off the horse and checking the tracks as the others rode up.

"Find anything captain?" A soldier asked, he and the others keeping distance while the captain studied the ground.

Looking through the opening of his helmet, his fingers gently prodded the print in the ground. "Human print, barefoot. The town shouldn't be too far up ahead." With that he saddled his horse and road with the soldiers in tow.  
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In the villiage, the town was still asleep. Only a few were up early, including Holo. Holo rose from her thin mattress on the floor with a yawn. Her dark hair was in tangles, usually hard to subdue, Hazel eyes puffy and tired. She went  
to the foggy mirror at the side of their hut and looked in the mirror. A pretty female face stared back, but that could be fixed.

Holo took the binding from the side of the wash bowl and pressed it against her chest, circling it around her body till it appeared flat. She held it in place with a pin. Then, brushing the tangles from her hair, she tied it into a low  
ponytail, similar to most of the men in their tribe. After putting on the baggy men's clothing, her femininity was concealed. It also helped with that lie that she was so skinny. None of the towns people bothered Holo though, they felt bad for  
Yan and his poor fate. First his wife died from illness and now his "son" was too weak to work.

Guilt still pressed in her chest that she was unable to save Mia, a pretty girl that had lived in their village. Holo was the only one available for marriage, being a "man" of age, but her father refused the suggestion of course. Mia had no choice  
but to be sold, and she had been gone for two years.

Holo let her father live up this lie, it made him feel better. The only thing that bothered her was that she wasn't at all weak.

She hurried from her hut and through the small village, and into the trees. She climbed over the creek and through the small valleys to her favorite place to practice. It was filled with rocks, most moved by her, and hunks of stolen  
metal she'd been able to mold.

Holo jumped in and got right to work. Slamming her foot into the ground she rumbled the earth, causing great crevices to form. She lifted a large Boulder from the ground with the wave of an arm, keeping her form solid. With a punch,  
the boulder shot through the air and crashed into the side of the valley.

She kicked, hit, punched, and dug her way through the valley, throwing rocks easily till she was sweating. She was so busy with her practice, she didn't notice the five armadillo horses gallop from above her crevice. The voice that called  
startled her, making her drop the boulders in surprise.

Some of the soldiers brushed off their armor as the dust settled. Holo was ready to run, these were fire nation scouts. Even though the world was in peace, she was still taught to be wary growing up. But what were they doing here? This  
was probably the smallest most secluded village in the earth nation.

The first one got off of his steed and removed his helmet in a peaceful gesture. His eyes were a fiery gold with his hair jet black swept aside from his eyes in a rather ruffled way. But his expression was hard and strict.  
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The Element Scouts..? Holo looked at the armored people behind him, and realized that there were four others from different nations. A water bender, her glossy black hair tied back into a high ponytail, her bangs swept aside  
from crystal blue eyes. She smiled warmly, her olive toned skin making her eyes seem brighter.

The airbender was a young man, actually not wearing armor at all, but a tan tunic, odd for the cold weather, his head shaved with a blue arrow tattooed on his forehead. His eyes were a joyful green over his fare skin.

The earth bender was older, about late twenties with black armor like the leader but accented with green and silver. He had a hint of shadow where a beard should be, and his brown eyes stern, but not in the intimidating way as the  
fire bender. His hair was a deep brown, and his build tall and burly.

The last...she couldn't tell which nation. He wore average brown clothing, his eyes a deep blue but wide and curious, his hair a startling gold color that softly ruffled atop of his head. He only seemed to be carrying a bag of scrolls  
with him.

Holo shook her head from the distraction, getting back to the topic. "But the earth kingdom sages live in Ba Sing Sei."

"We're aware, we've already been there. They sent us here. If you wouldn't mind showing us the way to the mountain village, we'd appreciate it." His voice was clipped and right to the point, used to giving orders.

Holo became wary, unsure if it'd be betrayal to show these scouts where she lived. But there was nothing to fear from them, the earth nation had nothing to fear from anyone who represented all the nations.  
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Ilsun kept off his helmet and climbed back on his Armadillo horse, following with the other scouts in tow.

The blonde one hurried forward on his steed, which was a spotted grey and brown, looking down at holo as she walked with a polite smile. "What's your name?" The blonde asked.

"Holo." She kept her eyes forward.

He looked thoughtfully. "Odd name for a man..."

Holo shrugged. "It was my mother's name, she died when I was born."

"Oh, I'm sorry..."

It was odd introducing herself to people, most of the town already knew who she was, and she never met anyone new before... She wondered what they would think if they knew she was a woman.

They entered the town borders while everyone was starting to go about their morning routines. Everyone stared as the scouts entered the town. The water bender looked around. "Where are all your young women...?"  
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to the tribe down the mountain as to keep an alliance with them."

Her blue eyes flared. "Sold them? That's barbaric! I've only heard of something like that during the hundred year war."

"Some of us have yet to grow out of it," Holo muttered, "we don't connect with larger cities, so our technology and resources are behind."

She was still seething as Holo's father hurried up. "Holo! Who are these people?" He demanded, his dark eyes staring untrustingly up at the fire bender.

"They're the Elemental Scouts, they said they were sent here by the Earth Kingdom sages."

"The sages?" Yan repeated, "that's Avatar business that has nothing to do-"

Ilsun cut in. "None of you will be hurt by us, we're not a threat. I request the presence of your tribal leader." His eyes were finite as he stared down at Yan, whom after some reluctance finally went to retrieve the  
elder.

The scouts rested themselves and their animals in the meantime. Ilsun took off the heavy armor jacket and lied it with his saddle upon a fallen tree, the earth bender following his lead. Holo fetched them a few barrels of  
water for them and their horses, watching in mesmerization as the water bender lifted the water to her horse and herself elegantly.

"Thank you." Ilsun said with a nod, washing off his face in the barrel before moving it to his horse to drink. "It's a bit tedious to ride live animals, I would've done better with the bikes-"

"Bikes?" Holo stood by him and his horse, petting under the armor near the soft tissue of its hide. The horse purred.

Ilsun straitened, sweeping back his damp black bangs, looking out at he town. "Yeah, we have more current technology then your town. The motor bikes we have were good for rocky terrain, but it was no match for the roots and  
trees of this steep mountain." He seemed very cold and unwelcoming with his demeanor, so Holo left him alone.

The earth bender hopped into the conversation, his expression friendly. "If I can ask, how many earth benders are here?"

Holo counted on her fingers. "Four I think, me and my father, then Baba, although she's too old to bend anymore, and Hako, he's about eleven."

"And your age?"

"Twenty. My father is fifty six. He's quite experienced."

He nodded, his expression thoughtful. "I suspect there's more earth benders in the larger village..."

The water bender scoffed as she pet her horse. "Giving away your women there must be..."

Holo's chest when cold, but kept her face resigned. All she could think was that she could be sent there too. She was twenty, unmarried, by now she already would have been a slave of the downward village.  
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Holo shrugged. "They've always been bigger then us, and they're terrain isn't circular like ours, they're in a long line following the river."

The airbender nodded and merely fell quiet again.

The elder was finally brought over by Yan. He was a weathered old man with a waist long white beard and balding head, half supported as he slumped over a cane. He looked with fierce aged eyes at Ilsun. "What do you want  
with this village..."

The captain gave a respectful bow then straitened with dignity. "We are here for a classified mission. With some interrogation I merely have to test Holo here."

"Why Holo!? My son has nothing to do with any of this!" Yan immediately became wary and defensive, making Holo paranoid.

Ilsun remained calm. "It's our orders to test everyone the age of twenty. If he's not involved the test will tell."

Holo's heart rammed against her chest nervously as the blonde went to his saddle to get something, then returned with a black velvet sack. He poured its contents onto the ground, placing the stones into a line.  
There were about a couple dozen that he lined in three rows. They were all a multitude of colors, shapes and textures, not one the same. "Please sit." He instructed and Holo obeyed.

"Now," he continued, standing in front of the stones. "Choose four."

Holo looked up, surprised. "That's all..?"

"Yes." The blonde smiled assuringly, as if what he was saying made sense.

Holo looked back at the stones in confusion. "But...how-"

"Just choose." Ilsun snapped.

Holo looked down at the stones, not feeling much assured. How was she supposed to choose between all these choices? She sighed, just deciding to choose which stones would be best to bend. Since none were the same,  
she chose her first a dark jagged rock that was more or less round, the one that looked like the earth she grew up bending. Her eyes skimmed over the rows again, spotting one that was matt black. Liking the color and the surprising  
heaviness, she chose that too.

She noticed the silence around her as the villagers began to crowd and watch with curiosity, and she could even feel the anxiousness given off by her father. Keeping her concentration, she chose the third, a clear crystal  
that looked more like a crystal then a rock. Her curiosity found it interesting, wondering if she could bend it as well. Now her fourth and final choice. Having seen what most looked like she wanted to use other methods.  
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earth bending. A sand colored stone, one with grey swirls, was so light that she actually caught it instead of lifting. She decided to keep it since it chose for her.

She moved from the rows left in satisfaction, glad of her choices and looked up at the blonde with a smile and holding out her four stones.

His expression appeared troubled.

"Is something wrong?" Holo prodded, frowning in confusion. Yan started forward but Ilsun lifted his hand to stop him in his tracks.

The blonde sighed. "Nothing's wrong, quite the opposite. It seems we have finished our search for the Avatar."

Everyone was silent, Holo feeling as if ice was dumped on her, her eyes wide with shock. "no...you're joking..."

"What? He can't be the Avatar!" Yan yelled. "He can't!"

"Please sir," the blonde looked away from holo for once, "it confuses me too but this test doesn't lie. He chose the four stones that come from each element. Usually this test is done when the avatar is a child  
but seeing as to the sages weren't in contact with him, it had to be done now." He looked back at Holo, his eyes deadly serious. "Holo, this isn't your choice, being the avatar, you can't choose selfishly. You have to come  
with us to the Earth Nation sages."

Holo's head spun erratically, standing on shaking legs. "I...I need to think..."

He nodded in understanding. "We'll give you till midday."

Brushing her father aside, Holo ran towards the woods. She kept running, running till her lungs burned and legs ached. Ran till she was worried her ankles would twist on the roots downhill. She said she would think  
but all she wanted was to be relieved of her rapid thoughts that crowded her head. Stumbling onto a river bank, she finally stopped.

Her breath fogged the chilly air as she panted, sweat beading on her temple.

The Avatar. It was impossible! She couldn't be! Sure, she's heard stories about the great Avatar Aang, whom brought peace to all four nations and ended the hundred year war. She'd heard the legends of courageous  
Avatar Korra, who reunited the spirit world and human world, along with bringing peace between benders and non benders. She's heard of Avatar Kyoshi, and Avatar Rokku, all who've done incredible, amazing things.  
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with potential they thought she was?

Holo realized she was still gripping the stones. She looked down at them, rolling them in her palm. They were all so different, so many different textures, weights, and colors. She bended them in her hand. They  
tumbled out of her palm, unbalanced with their differences. picking them up, she figured it was some omen that she couldn't bend them together, but her stubbornness got the best of her, and she tried again.  
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she was able to complete the small task. It only took the respect of each stone to be able to bend them together, till they flowed fluidly in a spiral in her palm as her fingers twirled. Holo caught them in her palm, realizing  
she'd made up her mind.

The scouts and Yan were waiting at the village when holo met back up at the hill at midday. Ilsun stood as she came forward, his expression hard and expectant, looking like he was ready to convince with all  
his might to make her come with them. Holo faced them, avoiding her father's eyes.

"I'll come with you."

Ilsun gave a rare smile of relief as the other scouts cheered. Yan stood in silence, looking at the ground.

Holo continued. "I'll come with you, but I need proper convictions from the sages as to why I'm the Avatar. If they can't convince me I'll return."

The water bender nodded. "That's understandable. The least we need you to do is go forward with an open mind. Now, I suggest you get ready for the journey."

Holo frowned. "Where are we going?"

Ilsun scoffed as if it were obvious. "Ba Sing Sei."

A/N: This is a little thing I'm doing for fun, and I wrote it in about a day. I've always loved The Last Airbender, but never liked Legend of Korra, so I wanted to create an avatar of my own. My first initial idea was to  
make a water bender who had to disguise herself as a man so she could learn under master Paku in the northern water tribe, where she met Aang and the gang, but that would be too much echo of the episodes. So I made  
a new character with the same idea. This story is entirely made of OC's if ya'll can't tell, but there will be mentions of former characters from history.


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